1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, to a suction nozzle for drawing air containing dust and the like.
2. Background of the Related Art
A related art vacuum cleaner will be explained with reference to the attached drawings. FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective disassembled view of the related art vacuum cleaner.
Referring to FIG. 1, a body 1 of the vacuum cleaner 1 is provided with a lower cover 1a and an upper cover 1b. A suction hose 3 has one end coupled to a suction hole 2 in the upper cover 1b of the body 1 and another end coupled to a hand grip 4 with a control unit. One end of an extension tube 5 is detachably coupled to the hand grip 4, and the other end is connected to one end of a connection tube 63. The other end of the connection tube 63 is coupled to the suction nozzle 6.
Various components in the body 1 will be explained, with reference to FIG. 2.
The body 1 is provided with a suction hole 2 for drawing in external air and a discharge hole 11 for discharging the air. There is a dust collecting bag 9 surrounding one end of the suction hose 3, which is inserted in the suction hole 2. The dust collecting bag 9 is used for filtering dust and foreign matters drawn into the body along with the air. An air filter 12 is provided in front of the discharge hole 11 for filtering fine particles which are not filtered out of the air flow by the dust collecting bag 9. A motor 7 and a fan 8 are provided between the dust collecting bag 9 and the discharge hole 11 for generating a suction force. A motor protection filter 10 is located in front of the fan 8.
There are many kinds of suction nozzles 6 which can be used with a device as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A user would select an appropriate suction nozzle 6 depending on what functions are to be performed. For example, when bedding, such as blankets and mattresses are to be cleaned, a suction nozzle for bedding may be used.
A background art bedding suction nozzle will be explained with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. The bedding suction nozzle 60 has an internal cavity and is provided with a suction nozzle body 61, which forms an outside shell of the suction nozzle 60. Wheels are rotatably fitted at both sides of the suction nozzle body 61. A connection tube 63 is coupled at a rear of the suction nozzle body 61. The suction nozzle body 61 has a main suction hole 61a at a bottom thereof for drawing in external air, and a bypass hole 61b at top thereof for drawing in external air.
The operation of the related art vacuum cleaner will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. Upon putting the vacuum cleaner into operation, the motor 7 in the body 1 is driven to rotate the fan 8, to generate a suction force. Then, external air carrying dust and the like is drawn through the suction nozzle 6 and flows into the dust collecting bag 9 via the suction hose 3. Most foreign matter in the air flow is filtered out and remains in the dust collecting bag 9. Fine particles which are not filtered out of the airflow by through the dust collecting bag 9 travel to a rear of the body 1, and are filtered out of the airflow by the air filter 12. The airflow is then discharged outside of the vacuum cleaner body 1 through the discharge hole 11.
The operation of the bedding suction nozzle will be explained with reference to FIG. 4. When a suction force is generated upon putting the vacuum cleaner into operation, most of the external air that passes through the connection tube 63 is drawn into the nozzle through the main suction hole 61a. However, a portion of the airflow exiting the nozzle is also drawn through the bypass hole 61b. As most bedding is formed of cloth, when cleaning the bedding, a portion of the cloth bedding may be partially drawn into the main suction hole 61a by the suction force of the vacuum cleaner. This blocks the main suction hole 61a, thus impeding drawing of the external air into the suction nozzle 60. This also impedes the cleaning operation. However, the external air drawn in through the bypass hole 61b in the top of the suction nozzle body 61 helps to allow the cloth stuck to the main suction hole 61a to come apart therefrom, thereby allowing the cleaning operation to continue.
However, the related art bedding suction nozzle has the following problems.
First, the related art bedding suction nozzle merely draws in dust and various foreign matters such as hair stuck to the bedding only using a suction force. However, because some foreign matter stuck to the bedding does not easily come apart from the bedding, the cleaning operation is not always effective. This makes the related art bedding suction nozzle inconvenient to use because the user must repeatedly go over the same portion of the bedding several times to remove all foreign matter. Alternatively, a cleaning operation using the vacuum cleaner can only be carried out after dust has already been shaken off the bedding.
Second, as noted above, when the bedding becomes stuck to the suction nozzle during a cleaning operation, it impedes use of the vacuum cleaner and reduces the effectiveness of the cleaning work. Despite the provision of the bypass hole in a top of the suction nozzle body, when a portion of the bedding is drawn into and blocks the main suction hole, it still impairs the cleaning operation.